Blog Archives - The Streatham Society

Baron Donald Soper - Methodist Minister

31/1/2021

On This Day 31 January 1903 Baron Donald Soper was born. He lived at "Yaverland" Streatham Park.

Donald Oliver Soper (1903–1998), Methodist minister, was born on 31 January 1903 at 36 Knoll Road, Wandsworth. The first son and first child of the three children of Ernest Frankham Soper (1871–1962), an average adjuster in marine insurance, the son of a tailor, and his wife, Caroline Amelia, née Pilcher (b. 1877), a headmistress and daughter of a builder.

On 30 July 1929 Soper was ordained at Plymouth and on 3 August that year he married Marie Dean (1908–1994) at The Wesleyan Church, Broadway, Streatham.

(Alan Wilkinson)

Sir Edward Baldwin MA- Owner of the Morning Herald

30/1/2021

On This Day 31st January 1890 Sir Edward Baldwin died

Edward Baldwin was the proprietor of the Morning Herald newspaper and lived at Streatham Green.
Born in London on 6 February 1803 and baptized at St Ann, Blackfriars on 16 May. He was educated at St John's College, Oxford (BA 1824, MA 1827), and married at St Giles, Camberwell, on 20 April 1831, Anne Calcott Horner (1811-1879), daughter of John Horner. They had at least three sons and four daughters.

He was buried in Norwood cemetery. In his obituary it was noted that 'his connexion with the Press belongs to a past generation, but in his time he played a prominent part in the newspaper world and was an ardent supporter of the early policy of Lord Derby and Mr Disraeli' (Griffiths, Encyclopedia, 86).

(Source D Griffiths and Probate Register and Illustrated London News 25 April 1846)

Lady Amelia Sophia Spencer

30/1/2021

On This Day 30 January 1829 Amelia Sophia Spencer died in Streatham

Her father was George Spencer, Duke of Marlborough, (26 January 1739 – 29 January 1817), styled Marquess of Blandford until 1758. He served as Lord Chamberlain between 1762 and 1763 and as Lord Privy Seal between 1763 and 1765. He is the great-great-great grandfather of Sir Winston Churchill.
Her Grandfather was John, Duke of Bedford.

Amelia married Henry Pitches Boyce on 22 September 1812

She was buried at St Leonards, Streatham on 7th February in 1829

13 time world-title ballroom dancing winner Bill Irvine

30/1/2021

On this Day 30 January 1926 Bill Irvine was born.

With Bobbie Irvine the couple won 13 world titles between 1960 and 1968 in the Professional Latin and professional Modern categories of ballroom dancing.

The Irvine's lived in Abbotswood Road and owned the Starlight in Streatham which is still one of the major teaching schools for dance in the country and attracts many international dancer

Journey's End by William Davis

29/1/2021

On This Day 29 January 1936 this picture appeared in the Tatler

The King (George V) lying in state by William Davis of 24 and 30 Woodbourne Avenue and studio 10 Becmed Avenue.

Members of William Davis' family still live in Woodbourne Ave

Image © Illustrated London News Group. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

Happy 90th Birthday Beryl Kingston , born on this day 28th January 1931

28/1/2021

Happy 90th Birthday Beryl Kingston , born on this day 28th January 1931

Beryl is a prolific best selling author. Beryl was born in Longley Road Tooting and lived in Strathbrook Road Streatham from 1956 to 1980.

Beryl was Secretary of Streatham CND for 10 years and the Streatham branch was one of the largest in the country

Her first book was published in 1985 and was an instant bestseller. From then on she wrote a best seller every year for the next 14 years. Some of her novels are family sagas like Hearts and Farthings and its sequel Kisses and Ha’pennies, some are modern stories like Laura’s Way and Maggie’s Boy, some are historical novels set in the 20th, 19th, or 18th century, some are war stories like A Time to Love and Avalanche of Daisies‘ which feature WW1 and WW2.

She reached the top payment level for public lending right with her 4th book and passed the million mark in sales with book number 12.

She has also written plays for the children she taught during a long teaching career, including teaching at Rosa Basset School Streatham in Welham Road on the Graveney School site, stories for various magazines and a novella about a conceited cat. Bloomsbury reader are currently reissuing her backlist on various ebook sites including Kindle.

She was the winner of the 2014 Blake Society Tithe Grant Award.

Naval Frogman "Buster" Lionel Crabb

28/1/2021

On This Day 28th January 1909 Lionel Crabb was born

Lionel Kenneth Philip Crabb (1909–1956), naval frogman, was born on 28 January 1909 at 4 Greyswood Street, Streatham, the son of Hugh Alexander Crabb, a commercial traveller for a firm of photographic merchants, and his wife, Beatrice Goodall.

Crabb was described by contemporaries as a most courageous diver able to endure great discomfort, but technically inept and a man of action rather than a thinker.

Crabb joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve before the war, and in 1940 he volunteered for bomb disposal duties. when the war ended, he was seconded to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in a risky venture to help observe the behaviour of trawlers at close hand. In 1947 he was invested with the George Medal and the OBE

Crabb retired in 1954 but reappeared at Portsmouth on 17 April 1956 with a relatively junior member of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)

On the 18th April 1956 Crabb persuaded a clearance diver to dress him for an important dive on the following day and take him by car to the dockyard where the Soviet cruiser Ordzhonikidze, bearing the Soviet leaders Bulganin and Khrushchov to Britain for a formal visit, would be lying alongside the premier berth.

A body, without head or extremities but with every indication of being Crabb, was discovered in Chichester harbour, Sussex, on 9 June 1957, over a year later.

(Source extracts: Richard Compton-Hall)

Cricketer Raman Subba Row- born in Pendennis Road

28/1/2021

On This Day 28th January 1932 Raman Subba Row was born in Pendennis Road, Streatham to an Indian father Panguluri Venkata Subba Rao, of Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh and English mother

Subba Row was educated at Whitgift School and Cambridge University. He was a left-handed batsman and occasional leg-spin and googly bowler. Subba Row was a member of the powerful Cambridge side of the early 1950s and played a few games for Surrey before joining Northamptonshire. Taking over as captain in 1958, he led the side for four seasons and achieved considerable success as a batsman, scoring the county's highest ever innings, 260 not out, in 1955 and then bettering it with 300 against Surrey, the County Champions, at the Oval in 1958, when he shared a record sixth wicket stand of 376 with Albert Lightfoot.

Subba Row played in thirteen Test matches for England, opening the batting regularly from 1959 to 1961. He scored centuries in his first Test against the Australians in 1961, and in his last match against them at the Oval.

He was one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1961.
At the end of the 1961 season, he retired rather abruptly and prematurely from first-class cricket to go into the public relations business.

In later years, he was Chairman of Surrey (1974–78) and an influential figure at Lord's. He also served as Chairman of the TCCB, and as an ICC match referee.

There is a conference room named after him in Whitgift School.
(Alchetron)

Gabriel Piozzi born 27 January 1741, 280 years ago today

27/1/2021

On This Day 27 January 1741 Gabriel Piozzi was born

He was an Italian singer and composer born and baptised on 8 June 1740. His parents were Domenico and Giancoma. His baptismal sponsor was Signor Giacomo Guadagni. He was one of 14 children. They included brothers Giambattista and P. Luigi, and sisters Maria, Laura, Madalena Tamotti and Ippolita.
The family were known to have lived in Brescia, Quinzano and Venice. In October 1782 Hester - who was involved in a lawsuit with Lady Salusbury and straightened for money - left Streatham for her Brighton home. Johnson followed her. After a violent scene with Queeney, Hester returned to London and resolved to give up Piozzi.
In January 1783, Hester told Piozzi that they must part. Hester retired to Bath and on 8 May 1783 Piozzi left for Italy. Her daughters on seeing that Hester's health was affected consented to the recall of Piozzi.
Johnson was not in love with Hester Thrale, although he had an intelligible feeling of jealousy towards anyone who threatened to distract her allegiance. This of course came to a head shortly before her remarriage when they exchanged parting letters. The resulting estrangement saddened last months of his life.
In 1790 Hester recorded their seventh wedding anniversary party at Streatham Park. In August 1794 Hester became Godmother to Cecilia Siddons 1794-1868 - named after Cecilia Thrale - daughter of Sarah Siddons.
In 1795 they took up residence at Brynbella - a house they built in North Wales on Hester's Bach-y-Graig estate. They also renovated Bach-y-craig. Hester and Gabriel Piozzi seem to have spent most of their winters in Bath. On the occasion of their 19th wedding anniversary, Hester wrote verses of celebration.
(FindMyGrave)
Image ©National Portrait Gallery, used under the creative Commons License

Streatham Wells Bell

27/1/2021

BELL, STREATHAM WELLS, VALLEY ROAD, STREATHAM CENTRAL

On This Day 27th January 1922 an article appeared by Mr. Baldwin in the Streatham News
The Bell was discovered when Hill House was demolished in 1922. It weighs nearly half a hundredweight, and was secreted under a wooden staircase on an outside wall near the Dutch garden of the house. Mr. Baldwin stated the "The bell probably came from the Old Well House when the water dried up , and was preserved as a relic"
(Lambeth Archives)